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Congress Watch
Weekly Summary
October 23 - 29, 2010

Akbayan, other Partylist reps backtrack; support CCT

Last Sept. 23, Akbayan Rep. Walden Bello said in a privilege speech that there is no strong evidence supporting the claims that the Aquino government’s Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) program will alleviate people from poverty. He also added that it is “a coordinated strategy of pressure by external agencies, namely the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the World Bank.”

However, a week later, Oct. 12, Akbayan filed House Resolution 529 supporting the CCT program saying that it is “a viable and effective tool to reach the poorest of the poor provided that it is properly enforced.” On Oct. 15, the chair of the committee on appropriations, Cavite Rep. Jose Emilio Abaya announced that Akbayan will receive P4.05 billion ($94 million) from the Department of Public Works and Highways fund of P110.6 billion. The fund was reportedly approved by Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson just an hour before its budget deliberation. The amount was reported to have been lobbied by Akbayan Rep. Kaka Bag-ao to be used for agrarian support services and initial capitalization for new beneficiaries. Aside from Bag-ao, Bagong Henerasyon Rep. Bernadette Herrera- Dy was also entrusted with the P4.05 billion fund. Herrara-Dy authored House Resolution 529 along with Bag-ao.

Other House representatives who had a sudden change of heart after opposing CCT just a day before but signed House Resolution 528 are the following regular and Partylist members:

DIWA Rep. Emmeline Aglipay, Aurora Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara, Senior Citizens partylist Rep. Godofredo Arquiza, Senior Citizens partylist Rep. David Kho, North Cotabato Rep. Nancy Catamco, Pangasinan Rep. Kimi Cojuangco, A Teacher partylist Rep. Julieta Cortuna, A Teacher partylist Rep. Mariano Piamonte Jr., San Juan Rep. Joseph Victor Ejercito, Kasangga partylist Rep. Teodorico Haresco, An Waray partylist Rep. Neil Benedict Montejo, Agham partylist Rep. Angelo Palmones, Surigao del Sur Rep. Philip Pichay, Coop-Naatco partylist Rep. Jose Ping-Ay, Cebu Rep. Gabriel Quisumbing, Abante Mindanao partylist Rep. Maximo Rodriguez, PBA partylist Rep. Mark Aeron Sambar, Cagayan Rep. Randolph Ting, and Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Jay Velasco.

Akbayan Ph4 B will not benefit farmers - KMP

No poor peasant will benefit from Akbayan's newly approved Ph4 billion fund, according to Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) especially under the agrarian reform system the Philippines is implementing.

“Representatives of Akbayan Partylist are fooling millions of farmers across the country when they claimed that the P4 billion infrastructure fund is meant to support new agrarian reform beneficiaries under the bankrupt Carper regime,” the peasant organization said.

In an interview, deputy secretary general of KMP, Willy Marbella said that the fund given to Akbayan is a form of prize for supporting the CCT program of President Benigno S. Aquino III and for being the House eyes and ears of the administration in the Lower Chamber.

Soliman's dilemma, far from over

Department of Social Welfare and Development Secretary Dinky Soliman will still in the hot seat once the bicameral Commission on Appointments convenes for her confirmation and when the lower House start its investigation on the P10 billion Poverty Eradication and Alleviation Certificate (PEACe) bonds scam.

House Deputy Minority Leader Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez and Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez said that this PEACe bond scam will definitely burden the tax payers since the country is obliged to pay P37-billion next year to pay the maturing bonds when initially it was supposed to be interest-free.

Expected to be invited to face the hearing aside from Soliman is Office of the Presidential Assistant on the Peace Process (OPAPP) Secretary Teresita “Ging” Deles. The two denied any involvement in the scam.

DSWD and other departments should go - Pimentel

A former Senate President and “father” of the Local Government Code of 1991, said the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), should cease to exist and should have distributed its functions to the local government units, ergo, it should not be given the responsibility to manage the government's CCT program.

In a recent weekly Kapihan sa Senado, former Senate President Aquilino Pimentel, Jr. told reporters that the functions of the DSWD should have been devolved to local governments. Regarding the CCT program, the former senator said that it should be distributed to local government units (LGUs) for easier identification of beneficiaries. If identification of beneficiaries will come from DSWD, many people will be involved that may probably lead to leakages, he warned.

Other Issues

Belmonte not bothered by low popularity rating

"It doesn’t bother me at all. I was mayor of Quezon City for nine years and I made my own record there. It doesn’t matter whether everybody knows that or not," House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte said days after StratPOLLS came out with results of a popularity survey of public servants following President Benigno S. Aquino III's first 100 days.

Belmonte, a former newspaperman, said that media gimmickry is not needed to improve his popularity among the public. Although he is not closing any doors to the media, he will remain accessible to reporters, he added.

The StratPOLLS survey yielded -16 rating for Belmonte: 58 percent of the respondents are not satisfied with his performance.

Pimentel calls for equal treatment by probing Senate execs

When the issue of looming compensation of Senate top officials broke into the media, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile immediately took responsibility for approving the huge allowances of Senate executives saying that these public servants deserve it. The money involved ranges from P30,000 to P200,000 a month.

In disagreement, former Senate President Aquilino Pimentel, Jr., said that the Senate should not excuse its own officials from inquiry since these personnel are believed to be in a parallel case with government-owned and controlled corporation (GOCC) executives.

“If we, as an institution, criticize other agencies of government for excessive allowances, I think we should also take a look at ourselves accordingly,” Pimentel told the media during the Senate's Kapihan.

Lower House investigates multi-termer issue

Following reports of multi-termer candidates running and winning in the recent barangay and Sanguniang Kabataan election, the chairman of the committee on suffrage and electoral reforms, Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga said that he will initiate a probe into the issue and will invite officials of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).

Barangay officials are banned from running for the same post after serving three consecutive terms. However, the Comelec and DILG were unable to prevent such candidates from running for another term. Barzaga said he will call a motu propio inquiry and ask Comelec Chair Jose Melo, his commissioners and Secretary of Interior and Local Government Jesse Robredo to face the hearing.

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